Being Mine
by Queen's Own
Summary: If you were a royal, you made a political marriage. Her parents had married for love and look how they turned out! Maybe love isn't quite all it's cracked up to be. At least in a political marriage you're safe. AU LianneKaddar sequel to Being His. RR!
1. I

Queen's Own: This is a follow-up fic to Being His. This is the story of Lianne and Kaddar. There's a little bit of alternate history here; remember this is an AU. This fic is being beta-ed by Milky Way Bar, so everyone should give her claps for that. So please, read on and review!

Disclaimer: I do not own anything Tammy came up with first.

Lianne of Conte murmured a quiet 'Thanks' to her youngest brother as he stepped in beside her with a glass of red wine. Quietly, he slid into the seat beside her, and tried to insert a few chance remarks into the conversation she was having with two girls fresh from the convent. Both were from fairly liberal families and were fairly pretty and polished. But, as always, their good manners deteriorated when it came to him and their snubs were only thinly disguised behind a veneer of politeness.

Roger of Eldorne sighed and sipped at a glass of his own wine. He could hardly blame them- most people's manners were nonexistent when confronted by the king's bastard. Excluded from the conversation, he surveyed the ballroom.

It was fairly full tonight, what with the expected guest and whatnot. Normally, there were only ambassadors from foreign countries, but the Carthaki delegation had been working hard here ever since a group of mages at the University had uncovered Emperor Ozorne's plot to unleash immortals upon Tortall and its neighboring lands. After a messy fiasco, during which the barrier between the Divine realms and the mortal realms had in fact been breached, the emperor had been dethroned. His heir, Kaddar, had acted instantly to replace his country's political alliances. In a show of good will, the emperor himself had come to Tortall for what promised to be a week of dinners, balls and political maneuvering. Tonight was the first of those balls.

Roger sighed again and took another sip of wine. Lianne had begged him to come along, after the piece of gossip that strictly political bonds were not the only ones Kaddar hoped to have with Tortall's royal family. Faced with his beloved sister's request, he had quickly given in. Yet now, disappointing his sister seemed nothing next to the thinly-veiled scorn and disgust he always faced at gatherings like these.

He discreetly surveyed his sister. She was more than a match for anything Carthak had to throw at them. Her deep lilac dress skimmed her slender curves, setting off amethyst eyes that had a spark of intelligence and her mother's fire in them. The round neckline showed off her collarbones and the long sleeves hugged her arms down to slightly past the wrist. Red curls tumbled down to the bottom of her ribcage, partly drawn back in front in a clasp made from purple glass, practically glowing against the dark dress.

His eyes were drawn sharply to a squire, making his way towards Lianne and himself. "Your Highness," the squire said. "The king requests your presence by his side, as His Imperial Majesty should be arriving any time now." Lianne smiled and thanked him. Excusing herself from the girls, she beckoned for him to follow her, as she stood. Roger too excused himself, though the two paid him no mind, and followed his half-sister.

Lianne stepped up beside her father, swallowing back the butterflies churning in her stomach. _I knew it would come to this. I always knew I would have to make a political marriage. _Yet the idea in theory was a bit easier to handle than the stark reality approaching her right now.

She took her place standing to the left of her father's throne. Roald, the heir, stood on his right, tall and somber in charcoal grey. He smiled encouragingly at her across the throne- she smiled weakly back, amethyst eyes worried.

There was no time to speak with either her sibling or her father, though, because at that point, one of the doors was opened and a herald stepped out. Banging his staff, he began to call out a list of foreign names and titles that Lianne didn't bother to listen to. She knew these men already, having been in social events with them for the past few months. Instead, she watched politely, though her real attention was spent glancing out of the corner of her eyes for the nearly identical brothers she knew must be somewhere near. She finally located Jasson and Roger standing not three feet away from her, when the second door was swung open.

The attention of the entire ballroom was suddenly riveted on whoever was about to walk down the Queen's Stair. The herald cleared his throat and announced the arrival of His Imperial Majesty Emperor Kaddar Inialt of Carthak. The following list of titles was long and foreign, but Lianne's attention was diverted by the figure of the emperor himself.

Looking at him, she was quite sure that most of the convent girls were probably sighing right now. He was tall, though not intimidating so, dark and handsome and carried himself with the erect bearing of someone in command. His black hair was in small braids, but not gilded, as she had heard Ozorne's to have been. The beads on the end were not precious metal but glass –obviously hand-blown though, she observed critically- in a multitude of blues and greens from nearly white to almost black. He did not wear Ozorne's famed black opal necklace, she noted, and his jewelry was fairly limited for a Carthaki. He wore only small hoops and studs in his ears, a stud in his nose, a silver bangle on one wrist and only a scattering of rings –she thought she counted four on his fingers. Well-polished leather boots came to his knees over a pair of dark green breeches. A flowing, sleeveless embroidered robe that came down to mid calf in a green several shades lighter over a loose light blue shirt completed the ensemble.

_On the whole,_ she observed critically. _Not an ostentatious peacock as we were lead to possibly believe. Definitely creates a contrast to his uncle. And despite the jewelry and the vest, very masculine- and very handsome. _In spite of herself, Lianne felt a bit of excitement stir amongst the butterflies. This might very well turn out to be fun. Though she had a bit less time for flirtation than many girls her age, she was no more immune to men than they were.

In the time it had taken for Lianne to make these observations, Kaddar had traversed the length of the ballroom and was shaking hands with King Jonathan IV. He then turned to her, intelligent dark eyes meeting her own purple ones. She dipped a curtsey –precisely the right depth, she noted proudly- before rising and offering him her hand. He took it and brushed the back with a light kiss that sent tingles up her spine. Her eyes danced.

"So pleased to have you in Tortall, Your Imperial Majesty," she said softly.

"It is a pleasure," he assured her. "I was sorry to hear the news of your mother. A tragic event, to be sure. I offer my condolences."

"My thanks," she said, eyes clouding for a moment before they cleared again. He returned her hand, before moving on to greet Roald. Lianne searched the room quickly, and met Jasson's eyes. She did not show her rising excitement outwardly –it would not do for all the nobles Tortallan and Carthaki to see- but allowed her eyes to dance slightly. Jasson knew her- he would get the message and pass it to Roger. Satisfied, she returned her attention to her father.

As the monarch stood, the nobles –already quiet- subsided into silence. Despite all the odds, her father had managed to keep the respect and cautious love of many of his people.

"It is my pleasure to welcome Emperor Kaddar and to re-extend my welcome to his ambassadors. My fondest hope is that we can use your time here to reaffirm and strengthen the bonds joining our countries. Enjoy the ball with no thought to politics- business will start tomorrow. For now, I leave you to the festivities." The nobles remained silent for only a heartbeat more before the sound of talking grew again. Within seconds, the conversation was back to its normal volume.

"Your Highness." Lianne's attention flew sharply back to the Emperor, now back in front of her. "May I request the pleasure of your presence as I go to greet my ambassadors?"

"The pleasure is mine," she accepted. He extended his arm and she placed her palm on it. They swept down the steps of the dais together. Lianne was aware of the thousands of eyes on them, yet she disregarded them as the annoyances she had felt all her life. Instead, she concentrated on the light talk between her and the emperor. Time swept by as they encompassed other nobles, Tortallan and Carthaki alike, in their conversation. She was drawn quickly from the chatter by a familiar voice.

"Lianne," came Jasson's voice from slightly behind her. She turned to meet Roger and Jasson, the latter looking slightly happier than he had at the beginning of the ball, the former still looking apprehensive. She sighed; Roger was suspicious of just about everything thanks to his witch of a mother.

"Emperor Kaddar," she said, effectively drawing his attention from a conversation with Baron Piers of Mindelan, the former Yamani ambassador, and his wife, Ilane. "May I introduce you to the youngest of my siblings, Prince Jasson of Conte, and his and my dear friend, Roger of Eldorne?" Kaddar was clearly momentarily thrown off by the fact that the two identical boys were not both Contes, but his sure knowledge of Tortallan court goings-on quickly caught up and gave Roger the correct identification.

"It is a pleasure to meet you both," he said smoothly. Jasson and Roger rose from their bows –Roger's considerably deeper than Jasson's- and, after extracting a promise from Lianne to meet them on one of the balconies in a few moments, excused themselves from the Emperor's presence.

Lianne talked quietly for a few more minutes with the Mindelans before Kaddar made polite apologies for them both and excused them. She added her own excuses before accepting the emperor's arm and allowing him to escort them to the next group of people. His next choice of people was rather surprising though- a Carthaki man that Lianne hadn't met yet and the first Carthaki woman she had seen so far- there had been none with the original delegation.

Kaddar introduced the woman as Sima and the man as Aveela. The woman's personality was warm and open and she obviously knew Kaddar quite well. The man didn't speak at all; instead his eyes seemed to take in everyone and everything very intently. Sima was dressed in an open mage's robe –the color indicated a Mastery- over a pair of loose white linen pants and a fiery orange shirt that hung slightly longer than normal to the tops of her thighs. The silk shirt clung to her slender, athletic form and perfectly set off her dark skin, lighter than that of the two men, but still darker than that of say a Yamani. Aveela was much less flashy and dressed simply in a deep blue shirt and a pair of tan pants. His skin was dark, the color of chocolate. The two were an enigma, Lianne mused. Sima was obviously wealthy and Aveela's dress held no hints of affiliations to a profession, yet he wasn't dressed as flashily as many of the other Carthaki nobles she had seen.

"Sima, why don't you and Lianne go talk for a while," Kaddar said. While he was obviously trying to be polite, he was equally obvious in his wish to talk to Aveela alone for a moment. Sima bowed to Kaddar and the two women walked out onto one of the open balconies. Within minutes, Sima had swept the princess into a lively conversation about Carthak and the University.

After a while, though, Sima paused after a funny story about one of the tangles she had gotten herself into while a student. She looked at Lianne directly, and Lianne started at her direct hazel eyes. "You know that one of the reasons Kaddar's advisors sent him here is to form a marriage contract with your father." The bluntness was a refreshing change from the polite social banter she'd been engaging in all night.

"Yes," Lianne said evenly. "I was well aware of that. It's not an uncommon or particularly surprising move."

"Well, as you can probably guess, Kaddar and I have been close friends for a while," Sima said. "And so he sent me to ask you what you thought of the idea. He wants to know who he'd be marrying."

Lianne shrugged. "I knew that I was eventually going to have to make a marriage of convenience. Frankly, I can't say that the idea of a love match appealed to me that much- just look what happened to my parents. At least with a political match you've got insurance in the fact that your husband can't anger your home country by beating you or having open affairs."

"But what do you think of Kaddar as a person?" Sima persisted.

"He's handsome," Lianne admitted. "And he seems nice. Honestly, though, I've known him for less than a few hours."

"If I know him," Sima said. "He's probably worrying to Aveela right now. He thinks you're beautiful, there's no getting around that." Lianne blushed. "But Copper Islanders can be pretty stunning and they're all insane."

"I think I could learn to love him," Lianne said slowly. "If nothing else, we could easily be good friends if what I've seen tonight holds true."

Sima nodded. "Well you two will get to know each other better over this week, what with all the social events your father has planned." Lianne laughed.

"Sima?" she asked hesitatingly. "Who are you and Aveela? I mean, what is your relation to Kaddar? I noticed you were the only woman with the delegation, and Aveela I hadn't seen before today, so…" She let her voice trail off as Sima laughed softly.

"I'm not Kaddar's lover, if that's what you're asking," the Carthaki said, still laughing. "I'm simply a mage, and one of Kaddar's old friends. Aveela-" Here she hesitated for a split second. "-Aveela is –well, was- Kaddar's personal slave. Kaddar freed him upon Ozorne's death, but Aveela decided to stay with him, because, well, he's mute." Lianne gaped.

"Oh," was the only thing that made itself out of her mouth for several moments. Sima's eyes were sympathetic.

"You're going to have to get used to slavery if you move to Carthak," she said after a moment. "While Kaddar's trying to weed it out slowly on the recommendation of Veralidaine –you'll like her- it's a slow process. The economy would collapse if it were a sudden change, and there are a lot of nobles whose respect he would lose. But we are trying." The woman's eyes begged Lianne to see the reason in Kaddar's actions.

"I understand," Lianne said. "We've begun to run into problems like that here with the conservatives." She shook her head.

Sima looked relieved. "I'm glad you understand. It would be hard to live in Carthak if you didn't." Lianne tensed slightly, as it occurred to her that the woman was acting as though she'd already agreed to marry Kaddar. _You know you as good as have,_ she scolded herself. _It's an opportunity Father can't refuse. We need this alliance with Carthak._

Nevertheless, she needed to get away from these Carthakis for a few minutes. She'd only found out that Kaddar's nobles were pressuring this move a few weeks ago, when it had come up at a lunch. Tortall's nobles had never been a problem- they'd been pressing for her marriage since she'd turned fifteen. Though an alliance with Carthak had only come into question a few months ago, with Ozorne's fall, there had been a few close calls with the Yamani Islands, Galla and Tusaine. Kaddar was by far the best offer so far- and probably the best she was likely to get.

These thoughts and many more swirling through her head, she politely excused herself from Sima's company and went to meet her brothers where she had promised. To her surprise, Roald had joined Jasson and Roger. Upon seeing her, all three pounced.

"What do you think of Kaddar?"

"Who was that woman you were talking to?"

"Has the Emperor said anything about the marriage proposal?"

She waved them quiet and answered their questions. The three boys were quiet for another minute, before Roald asked the question every noble in Tortall was dying for the answer to. "Lianne, do _you_ want to marry Kaddar? Not is it a good political move, but can you see yourself spending the rest of your life with him?"

She shrugged. "He's the best offer for a political marriage I'm likely to get," she pointed out. "He's handsome, and he seems intelligent and nice. From all appearances, he's a fairly decent emperor, and everything we've heard seems to confirm that. Yes, I could see us being good friends, even falling in love if he doesn't change too drastically. I-" She broke off at the sight of the Emperor. Roald, seeing the direction her eyes had drifted, turned quickly, and bowed. Jasson and Roger followed suit.

"Your Highness," Kaddar said. "Sima told me you had excused yourself, and I took it upon myself to ensure that you were feeling alright." Lianne smiled in spite of herself.

"Your Imperial Majesty," she said. "I'm honored by your concern. I'm feeling fine- I just wanted to speak to my brothers for a moment, that's all."

"Please," the emperor said. "Call me Kaddar. Your Imperial Majesty reminds me of my most formidable uncle." Lianne laughed lightly.

"Then I am Lianne," she insisted.

"Would you care to get a drink, Lianne?" Kaddar asked. "I hear the wine tonight is wonderful- Tusaine grown and harvested."

"Really?" she said. "That sounds wonderful. Roald, Jasson, Roger? Would that be all right?" All three assured her it was fine, so she took Kaddar's extended arm and allowed herself to be led into the ballroom. The three brothers looked at each other.

"She likes him," Jasson said finally, in that teasing tone that is a trademark little brother act.

"Yes," Roald admitted. "And he seems to return the feelings."

"It's a political move," Roger said irritably. "How much feeling can there be in it?"

"There seems to be some," Roald said quietly. "Besides, look how a love match turned out." Roger stiffened slightly.

"Political marriages can turn out much the same," Roger retorted. "Only more subtly."

"Then how do you know it goes on?" Jasson asked. Roger looked from one to the other.

"So now you're all ready to throw Lianne to him for the sake of an alliance?" he accused.

"No," Roald said, refusing to be ruffled. "But there isn't much a choice for her, is there? So why not try to see the best of it?" The anger in Roger's eyes went out.

"It's all right, little brother," Jasson said cheerfully. "She gets her determination from Mother. She'll do fine with Emperor Kaddar. Who knows? This might turn out to the best thing Father's ever done for us."

Queen's Own: So what are you all thinking so far? Please review- there is going to be some continuation if I get a decent number of reviews. So please do review- it as always means the world to me.


	2. II

Reviewer Responses:

milky way bar: I am sitting around reading your review because it's the first one I got! I was simply basking in the warmth of a review. Only one of six, I might add. But don't worry, I'll get the update out anyway.

Scottish Wish: Hey, I'm not a AJ fan either. That's part of why I wrote this fic J I think of it as almost a…anti-AJ. Thanks for the awesome review! Zhai'helleva!

queen-of-sapphires: Alanna died in early autumn- sometime in September I think. This fic takes place in early January, I think, right after the Midwinter celebrations. The court is still in mourning for the queen. As for Jasson, my thinking behind that was that it was the eldest and the heir. Jasson mainly hides in a corner for these kinds of things –don't forget his birth was basically the point at which Alanna and Jon's relationship hit rock bottom- and so doesn't like being under the public scrutiny Lianne and Roald are subject to. Hope that clears things up!

maliaphire: Because of Alanna marrying Jon, a huge number of things did and didn't happen. Therefore, I've kind of made up my own timeline for this. Numair went to Galla instead of to Tortall and found Daine there. He didn't change his name and remained Arram. As soon as Ozorne was overthrown, Kaddar contacted him and Arram returned to Carthak with his new pupil. You will be seeing them when Lianne gets to Carthak. I've also thrown in another character here, just to forestall any questions about her future. Basically that question will be cleared up more and more as the story goes on.

Atlanta Enchanted: I love her brothers too! They're so cute. And Kaddar's not bad either…Yes, Daine is in Carthak points up. You're welcome for making Jon less of a jerk- he's stupid but not _that_ stupid.

cookxenya: Why haven't you logged on in forever? I love Thank you for the review- I will try to update as much as possible!

Queen's Own: I _only_ got six reviews. I'm going to be generous this time and update anyway, but next time I need ten to update.

Disclaimer: points to site name I'm not Tamora Pierce!

"I _hate_ propriety!" Roald raised an eyebrow.

"Do you now?" he asked mildly. His older sister fixed him with a glare.

"Yes as a matter of fact I do," she said. She took a deep breath before venting. "I've known the man for three days, and never have we had a single conversation just between the two of us. I have not even seen him without several hundred nobles watching us, ambassadors breathing down our necks and a million rules of propriety and etiquette to conform to. And I just found out today from one of Jasson's friends they had serving that Carthaki ambassadors want a marriage agreement signed before Kaddar leaves at the end of the week. Turns out they've been negotiating it under the table and now that Kaddar's here, all the difficult questions have already been resolved. I want to at least _talk_ to the man without a chaperone!"

Roald sighed. Lianne rarely got irritated with much of anyone, but when she did- it was a sight to behold.

"Why don't you ask one of your friends to chaperone?" he said. "Ask- who's that Carthaki woman you were talking to?"

"Sima," Lianne said sharply.

"Ask her to chaperone a walk in the gardens," Roald suggested. "Or a horseback ride through the Royal Forest."

Lianne glared at him. "Why are you always so right?" she asked, sounding annoyed.

"Because I'm your younger brother," he said. "I'm not _always_ right, you just notice when I'm right and you're wrong." Lianne made a shooing motion with her hands.

"Go away, little brother," she said. "I have a lunch with the Carthakis soon, and I need to get dressed." He smiled and turned to go. "Wait!" He turned back to look at his sister. "Would you ask Sima-?" Roald smiled.

"Of course, my lady," he said, bowing with a flourish. Lianne laughed.

"Get out!" she ordered. "I have to change." Roald laughed, passing her maid on his way out.

Lianne shook her head in annoyance. "Why is he always right?" she complained again.

The maid –the same one who had been assisting her since she was twelve- fixed her with a look. "Maybe it's because he's your younger brother, Highness." Lianne rolled her eyes.

"It's a conspiracy, I swear," she said.

"Conspiracy or no, Highness,"her maid said. "You need to get dressed. I'm to tell you that His Imperial Majesty is going to collect you for the luncheon in half a bell." Lianne yelped and went to change.

With minutes to spare, she was waiting in her front room, seated gracefully on a chaise lounge. She smoothed a few invisible wrinkles in her dress and sighed. It really was a gorgeous dress –black embroidery on black silk- but mourning colors only reminded her of the mother she had lost so recently. But thoughts of her mother were soon distracted by the thought of the man who was coming any minute to collect her and she was soon back to smoothing invisible wrinkles, brushing off invisible dust and nervously smoothing her hair.

The sound of a knock caused her to drop the strand of hair she was fiddling with and sit up straight. The maid opened the door to reveal Kaddar. Lianne stood and dropped a curtsey. Kaddar watched her, eyes discreetly taking in every inch of her. Her dress was gorgeous, falling to the floor in long, liquid skirts with lace sleeves covering her arms. The dark dress caused her red hair, loose to her waist, to flame and her ember necklace, a gift of her mother, burned with internal light. _She'll make someone a gorgeous queen,_ the emperor observed as he kissed the back of her hand.

"Shall we, Lianne?" he asked, offering his arm.

"We shall," she said, accepting the arm and his escort down the hall.

They idled in the halls for a while, so as to be the last ones to arrive at lunch. With a sense for drama, they waited outside the doors until every one of the ambassadors and Tortallan nobles were seated. Then, they swept through the doors, regal and magnificent. Lianne hid a triumphant smirk behind a demure smile, as everyone in the room scrambled to their feet and bowed, faces showing various degrees of surprise. She quickly caught sight of her brothers, seated towards the middle of the table.

Roald gaped at the sight of his sister. He could see clearly through her ladylike smile to the amusement behind it, but he doubted even she could imagine the impact they had created. Kaddar looked the part of an emperor, in sage green breeches and traditional calf-length tunic in red and gold. As always, he shone with jewelry. Lianne beside him was slim and somber in a black dress that looked silk. They made a magnificent and gorgeous picture and Roald would bet any amount of money that the same thought was running through everyone's head: _that is the Emperor and Empress of Carthak_. He knew it was running through his head, and he was the last one to want Lianne across the Emerald Sea. But he had to admit, she certainly fit the part.

Kaddar escorted Lianne to her seat on Jonathan's left side, before taking his own seat at the other end of the table. Everyone sat with him and the social banter began once again.

"Your Highness?" the noble sitting on Lianne's other side said politely. She turned and smiled genuinely.

"Duke Gary!" she said. It had been a while since she'd talked to her brother's knightmaster- she didn't ordinarily have dealings with the Prime Minister. "How's Jasson?"

"He's doing quite well," the knight said. His smile was infectious, and made the flecks of white in his hair look unreal. "How are you, Your Highness?"

"How many times," she protested. "Have I asked you to call me Lianne?"

"How are you, Princess Lianne?" Gary's warm brown eyes danced. She sighed.

"I'm as well as anyone might expect," she said, toying slightly with a strand of hair that had fallen in her face.

"The marriage?" he asked, sympathy in his features. Lianne smiled.

"Don't think that I don't like the idea," she said hastily. "Emperor Kaddar has been extremely courteous to me, and the Carthakis are all so pleasant." She favored Kaddar's chief advisor, sitting across from her, with a smile. "But it is a bit unsettling. I mean, I only found out about the match a few days ago."

Gary shook his head. "Princess Lianne, ignorance does not do you justice. You forget, I have known you since you were a child. I would bet that you've known for a number of weeks." Lianne blushed, and he smiled knowingly.

"A few weeks," she admitted.

He was about to reply, when one of the Carthakis seated across from Lianne called her name to get her attention.

"Princess Lianne," the dark-skinned man said. Lianne tucked the strand of hair she'd been fiddling with behind one ear.

"Yes?" she said politely.

"My colleagues and I were wondering- what is your opinion on slavery?" Lianne tensed slightly, thanking Sima mentally for already having this conversation with her.

"Although," Lianne began slowly. "Slavery is not a -permitted institution- here in Tortall, I do accept that it is an economic necessity in Carthak. And I do not believe it will bother me if-" _If only it were if._ "-Carthak should become my home." The ambassador looked satisfied with this answer, and promptly turned to the man next to him to rejoin a conversation about trade.

"A very diplomatic answer," her father murmured in her ear. Lianne smiled.

"Thank you," she said. It was still a bit of a surprise to hear her father compliment her so casually; though he'd begun doing it a few months before, it hardly made up for 19 years of what would be most kindly described as inattention.

"So, what do you think of Kaddar?" Jonathan asked. His eyes twinkled, as every ambassador leaned forward. They were all discreet, and had it been only one or two of them, it would have gone unnoticed. However, when all of them did it at the same time it was painfully obvious.

Lianne coughed to hide a laugh. Her father had just saved her from having to answer the same question a hundred times. Yet that didn't stop her cheeks from burning and her eyes from flying to the opposite end of the table where they met a pair of dark ones. Kaddar didn't look interested- on the contrary he looked perfectly relaxed. Yet in his dark features was a hint of interest in her answer. _Probably just waiting for me to boost his ego,_ she thought wryly. It was the only acceptable route. Even if she had found him boorish, vulgar and ugly, she would never have been able to say it in public. Wars had been started in the basis of less. She hid a bit of a laugh as she answered. Now she was being paranoid.

"The emperor has been a perfect gentleman," she said carefully. "We've been getting along very well." Disappointed by her neutral answer, the diplomats sat back in their seats. The edges of her lips curved up in a bit of a smile.

"Are you trying to infuriate everyone in the room?" her father asked mildly, taking a sip of water.

"Why would I do that?" Lianne asked. "I was simply keeping my answer neutral."

"That it was definitely was," her father answered. He sighed and took another sip. "I'm sorry if I'm short, Lianne," he said. "I apologize in advance- this treaty is crucial."

"You know I will- marry him," Lianne assured him. "That isn't in question."

"Of course," her father said. "It's not you at all." She smiled, relieved.

"Good." She meant it. Her father's approval was a volatile thing, something which made it infinitely more precious.

"We have four days," her father explained. "For Emperor Kaddar and I to approve all these negotiations that have been going on under the table for the past few months. And then everyone will want to discuss everything to death before resurrecting it to argue some more."

"When will I leave for Carthak?" Lianne ventured. "Surely not with the emperor at the end of the week, will I?"

"Of course not." Jonathan waved one hand in dismissal. "Not for a few months I think. And once you reach Carthak, the wedding won't before a few weeks. Preparations must be made, both here and there. I must talk to Gary about having Cythera help you. Normally the queen would do that-" He stopped talking, a flash of pain and guilt appearing in his eyes.

"But she is unable," Lianne finished softly. "Lady Cythera is wonderful, Father. I'm sure- sure that Mother wouldn't mind." She smiled softly, before turning to Gary. "Do you think she would?" she asked.

"I'm sure my lady wife would be honored," he said, eyes twinkling. "Although you or Jonathan can ask her tonight at the ball."

"I will," Lianne said. She smiled demurely and took a sip of water. "If this discussion is finished-" Her father nodded, and Lianne turned to a Carthaki ambassador- Lord Temiat, she thought. He was one of the delegates who had come with Kaddar a few days ago.

"Lord Temiat," she said, gambling slightly. To her relief, he turned to face her. "Tell me, are you enjoying your stay in Corus so far?"

"Well, Your Highness," he replied. "It is a bit different from Carthak…"

Lianne swirled into her sitting room, smiling giddily. Kaddar had insisted on walking her back to her room, and the two had taken a longer route, so as to talk for the longest time possible. At her door, he had apologized, saying he needed to go talk with his nobles and he would see her at the ball that night. Then, he had hurriedly pressed a chaste kiss to her cheek before leaving.

Her eyes caught sight of a flash of white on the side table next to the door. The fingers of one hand drifted over her cheek yet again as she walked over to pick up the note.

_Lianne- You were magnificent at lunch. Quite the queenly figure, especially with that handsome man on your arm. _Lianne blushed, unsure whether or not to kill her brother for perfectly complying with the role of annoying little brother. _I was seated across from Sima at lunch. She's quite charming, if you must know. I can see why you like her. What's she doing here anyway? She's the only woman, as you no doubt noticed. Anyway, before I got sidetracked, I was going to say that she agreed to accompany you on a visit to the city tomorrow morning. She told me to tell you that the emperor may accompany you- he's been wanting to see the city. I knew you'd be surprised and no doubt pleased by that information. –Roald_

Lianne raised one eyebrow in surprise. Roald was good. _Glad he's for me instead of against._ He had gotten her and Kaddar alone except for Sima –well and several bodyguards no doubt who she hoped would be discreet- and all under very acceptable pretenses.

"How was lunch?" Lianne's eyes flicked up at the sudden voice, but she quickly relaxed.

"It was interesting," she said. "How are you Roger? I haven't seen too much of you lately."

Her youngest brother shrugged and walked into the room, shutting the door behind him. He dropped into a plush chair next to the fireplace. Lianne watched him, eyes worried. "Fine. How have all your social events been?" he asked. She understood in an instant.

"You've been lonely," she said, sitting across from him.

He shrugged. "Nothing I'm not used to. 'Anne, you _know_ none of the nobles talk to me. It's gotten worse since Her Majesty died. Now I'm not only the king's bastard, but my mother was convicted and hanged for regicide."

Lianne hesitated. _Not much I can really say to that, since we both know that it's true. _"Roger," she said. "We –me, Roald and Jasson- love you no matter what."

"But when you're closeted away with the Carthakis all day, that doesn't really help," Roger said. "And you're leaving for Carthak too-"

"Not for a few months," Lianne said. "Roger, I'm sure we can find someone that you can get along with. Stay with me tonight, and we'll see who I can introduce you to." He smiled slightly.

"Thanks 'Anne," he said. "I doubt it will work, but thank you."

"It will work," she insisted. "Now, I need to change out of this dress. I'll talk to you a little later." Roger rose and left. Lianne sighed. Her half-brother had a multitude of problems.

That night, as she had for the last two, Lianne entered on Kaddar's arm. Her dress tonight was a deep lilac, almost black, with a v-neck. Intricate black beading graced the neckline, cuffs, waistline and hem. Embroidery on the bodice made the dress more than simply black. Lianne held her head proudly, a smile curving her lips as she proved that mourning didn't have to be dull.

Kaddar was again wearing flamboyant colors, a vibrant green tonight. Lianne noted the envious glances of convent ladies with the barest hint of a smile. Not that she was gloating- that wouldn't be very noble of her. She was simply enjoying the rare pleasure of having a handsome man escorting her that didn't happen to be one of her brothers.

Roger met them a few minutes into the party. His outfit was in varying shades of gray and black. Bowing to them, he turned to Lianne. "Might I steal you for a few minutes, Highness?" For him to address her informally in public was a horrible breach of etiquette.

"Of course, Roger," she answered politely. "If it's all right with His Imperial Majesty." She looked up at Kaddar with a smile.

"Who am I to stop you?" he asked, a smile on his face. "You are your own woman, with a mind of your own." Lianne curtsied briefly before taking Roger's offered arm. "Oh and Lianne?" She turned back to the emperor, whose smile had taken on a teasing edge. "It's Kaddar." A faint hint of pink appeared on Lianne's cheeks.

"He wouldn't allow just anyone to call him by his given name," Roger said in a low voice, as they walked slowly towards one of the squires carrying wine.

Lianne looked up at him. "Oh, Roger," she said in exasperation. "It's all about appearances. He's going to marry me and there isn't a person here who doesn't know it."

"He still likes you," Roger insisted quietly. He took two flutes of champagne, handing one to Lianne. She took a small sip.

"I agreed to help you meet people," she said, steering the subject away from her and Kaddar. "And if all you do is talk to me about prospective husbands, you're not going to meet anyone. Come one." She looked around the room, searching for a good place to start. Her eyes lit upon a tall girl wearing a charcoal grey dress. She stood in a corner, watching a group of young nobles dance and flirt.

Lianne steered her brother in the direction of the girl. Her eyes widened at the sight of them and she dropped into a low curtsey. "Your Highness," she said softly. "To what do I owe this honor?" Lianne laughed quietly.

"You looked alone," she said. She noted that the girl appeared a few years younger than she, probably fresh from the convent. Brown hair was tied up in a knot, and she wore was only the barest hint of face paint. Quite a bit taller than Lianne, who took after her mother in height, the top of her head was still barely level with Roger's eyes.

"I haven't had much time to meet people yet," the girl said softly. "I arrived from the convent only a week ago."

"What's your name?" Roger asked.

"Keladry of Mindelan, Your Highness," she said with a curtsey.

Roger flushed slightly. "I'm not a prince," he said. Keladry turned beet red.

"Oh, I'm sorry-" she said, flustered. "I thought- I mean, you just look- and you were with her- so, I assumed-"

"It's a natural assumption," Lianne assured her quickly. "Roger does look a lot like Prince Jasson. Here." She offered the girl a flute of champagne, taken from another wandering squire. Keladry looked enviously at the squire's retreating back as she took the champagne flute.

"You wanted to be a knight?" Roger asked. Keladry flushed deeper.

"Yes," she admitted. "Like the Lioness. I thought of sneaking it- but I had no one to switch with." She realized who she was talking to and hurriedly apologized. "I'm sorry- talking about the Queen. Forgive me."

"No harm done," Lianne said. "She's gone, may the Black God rest her soul."

As an awkward silence began to take hold, Roger cleared his throat.

"So Lady Keladry," he said. "You mentioned wanting to be a knight? Have you kept up with jousting?" Keladry nodded shyly.

"A bit," she admitted. "Lord Sir Raoul's record of course. And little bit of Lord Wyldon's."

"Really?" Roger said, intrigued. "Who do you think is better?" Keladry brightened. Within minutes, they were into a debate over jousting. Lianne sipped champagne, watching with a smile on her face. When the conversation began to move to the Yamani Isles where Keladry had lived with her parents, she edged away. Giving her empty flute to a squire, she began looking for Kaddar again. Before long, though, she had been asked to dance by a young knight she knew only vaguely.

She was curtsying to yet another partner after the fourth set, when her partner bowed much deeper than the dance demanded. "May I cut in?" She smiled and turned to see Kaddar. "Where did you go?" he asked, pulling her into the next dance, a slow waltz.

"Helping Roger meet people," she said. "It's hard for him because-" She searched for a delicate way to put it. "Most people act- aren't so polite to him." Kaddar nodded.

"He seems like a decent person," he said. Lianne nodded.

"He's like another younger brother," she said. "There are some times when I honestly think he and Jasson are twins. But- they're not." She sighed. "It really upsets him." Realizing who she was talking to, she laughed lightly. "But you probably aren't terribly interested in Roger.

"He means a lot to you," he said, dark eyes meeting hers. "So, I am interested." Lianne blushed, pale pink staining her cheeks. _Stupid red hair. Makes me blush at _everything

She was suddenly very aware of how close the dance demanded partners be. She was also equally aware of the many eyes on them, watching them. And somehow, as his face drew closer, she felt very used.

Lianne pulled as far away from Kaddar as the dance would allow. As soon as the dance ended, she curtsied hurriedly and made some excuse explaining her need to leave. She walked across the room, taking care not to look hurried. It wasn't until she had exited the room, and descended a flight of stairs that she gathered her skirts in hand and ran.

She ran down hallways to one place she knew no one would be. It was a garden that, in the last few years, probably since a little after Roald had been born, had fallen out of favor. It was probably practically deserted now, and so it was there she was running.

The full moon gazed down serenely at the running princess. She made it a ways into the garden before she collapsed on a bench. Tears were carefully held in, as she dabbed delicately at her eyes. Ruining her face paint would get her nothing but her maid's wrath and the privilege of being _the_ choice tidbit of gossip for the next week. So she simply sat.

The gardens were almost silent, but for the calls of birds, the cricket's chirps and, barely audible, the distant hum of the city. But for some reason, she didn't hear the approaching footsteps until a voice announced them.

"Princess?" Lianne stood, spinning to face the intruder. She relaxed only marginally upon seeing Sima, and behind her, Kaddar. Tonight, the woman was wearing a deep red dress, with long draping sleeves and white embroidery on cuffs, collar and hem. The tapered waistline and fitted bodice emphasized her slim figure, while the skirt trailed gracefully behind her.

"What do you want?" she asked tiredly. The lump in her throat was barely discernable.

"I just wanted to make certain you were all right," Sima said hesitantly. She gave the barest of glances over her shoulder. "You left in quite a hurry."

"I'm just tired," Lianne said. Sima lifted one eyebrow and stepped closer.

"Your eyes are shiny," she said. "And your face paint is slightly smudged, just under your eyes." Her eyes weren't accusing as she dismissed Lianne's lie. "You've been trying not to cry."

"I haven't," Lianne said. But the lump was rising and there was nothing she could do about it.

Sima, with no care for etiquette or propriety, put her arms around the princess and pulled her closer. Lianne rested her head on the woman's shoulder and sobbed. Sima just held her, stroking her hair, with no thought to her dress.

It was several moments before Lianne lifted her head. She sniffed, and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, no thought spared for the already ruined face paint. "Oh Goddess, your dress- I'm so sorry." Sima shrugged.

"No harm," she said. "My maid works wonders." Lianne laughed weakly.

"I must look horrible," she said. "My face gets all puffy when I cry- and my eyes get all red. Not to mention my face paint is smeared."

"You look fine." Lianne jumped and flushed bright red. She had forgotten about Kaddar. As she noticed him, some of her anger and betrayal came rushing back, and she was quickly swallowing back tears once more. Sima put an arm around her shoulders.

"Kaddar," she called. "We women are going to my rooms. You are going to go back to the party and inform His Majesty that Lianne fell slightly ill- blame it on something she ate."

"As you wish, my lady." Kaddar swept a comic bow and left.

"We are going to my rooms," Sima said, gently steering the princess in the general direction. "And we are going to talk."

Queen's Own: There's your chap. Remember, ten reviews before I update! Zhai'helleva!


	3. III

Sorry this chapter was so slow in coming! See the author's note at the bottom for part of the reason. It's not entirely my busy schedule's fault (though that is a big part of it).

Disclaimer: You all know what's mine and what's not- if you don't, why are you even reading this?

Reviewer Responses:

Dom's Lover: I think I stated that this fic is an AU, but that's beside the point. Most of your confusion seems to be that you haven't read the prequel Being His, which really is crucial to this fic making sense. Though I still recommend going and reading BH (it will be useful, not to mention I'm _very_ proud of it) I'll give a brief synopsis of this AU. Basically, this is my interpretation of what would have happened if Alanna had married Jon. Thayet never came to Tortall and Kalasin and Liam don't exist. Instead the three royal children are Lianne (the oldest), Roald (the heir) and Jasson. Alanna and Jon had marriage problems that ultimately resulted in loud, angry and sometimes physical fights and Jon having an affair with Delia of Eldorne. They had an illegitimate son, Roger of Eldorne, who everyone knows exists and no one talks about. Delia killed Alanna about four months before this fic starts, was charged with regicide and hanged. Hope that clears things up a bit! Go read Being His and everything will make a lot more sense.

cookxenya: That stinks. I would die without internet!

atsuibelulah: Since this is a question I'm getting a lot, I'm going to answer so everyone pay attention! This is set in an AU, in which Numair went to Galla instead of Tortall and met up with Daine there, before she ever went to Tortall. When he discovered Ozorne was trying to release Immortals into the Mortal Realms, Kaddar contacted Numair (who was still Arram at that point- he's going to go by his given name in this story) and asked him to come back to Carthak to help stop Ozorne's mages from breaching the Divine Realms. Numair came back, bringing Daine to Carthak. They stayed there after Kaddar's coronation and are currently his resident Black-robe and Wildmage. Hope that clears everything up!

maliaphire: Zhai'helleva is a word from Mercedes Lackey's books (which I recommend- they're really good!) which means Wind to thy Wings. It's a multipurpose hello/goodbye sort of thing.

Atlanta Enchanted: Lianne is nineteen, Roald is eighteen and Roger and Jasson are sixteen. Kel is around seventeen. I think I will make her and Roger be at least friends- their personalities seem to click- then maybe I will take him off to Carthak with Lianne. Food for thought…Anyway, thanks for the very complimentary review! I really appreciate it.

k4writer02 and Meggie : I'm so glad you think my AU is believable! You absolutely made my day with that comment. Believability is not the easiest thing in a fic like this and something I really struggle to have happen, so I'm glad you think I'm succeeding.

milky way bar: That's what I love about summer: NO HW! BTW, Ivan still likes you. And he's single again. Have fun in India!

Sariana of the Wind: Oh! You cried! I feel oddly complimented and sorry at the same time- hope that makes sense.

chocolategirl: I'm really glad you love my fic. I kind of like it too.

lillycat: I'm sorry you think it's evil that I'm waiting for ten. I do agree it is a bit extortionate of me, but I really do want reviews, and a lot of people don't review and just read. I like feedback, and I like knowing people have read and appreciated my story- if there's not a big enough audience, it's just not work the sweat and mental blood that goes into it. But I'm glad you like this, and would've been willing to put in an extra couple reviews.

_

* * *

"We are going to my rooms," Sima said, gently steering the princess in the general direction. "And we are going to talk." _

* * *

Lianne went unrelentingly, too upset to put up much of a fight. _It'll be nice to talk to girl, I guess…_she thought reluctantly. _And she seems nice- _

Because Sima was the only woman with the delegation, she didn't have to share a sitting room with any of the other delegates. So there was no worry of being disturbed as she ushered Lianne into the outer room of the suite. Lianne swept the room with her eyes, never having been in one of the suites granted to foreign delegates before. It was a decent sized room, with several chairs and a couch ringing a rug in front of the fire place. A door on the wall opposite that Lianne assumed led to the bedroom stood ajar; Sima closed it as she stepped into the room before settling next to Lianne on the couch.

"What's wrong?" she asked gently.

Lianne crossed her arms, a hardness showing in her eyes. "How do I know you won't just go tell Kaddar?" she asked softly. "I've only known you for three days and not well. Why should I trust you? I don't know anything about you." Sima shrugged, refusing to be put aside.

"How's this?" she said easily. "I tell you about me, and then you tell me what you're upset about." Reluctantly, Lianne nodded. She shouldn't have given in, she knew. But it had been so long since she'd had another woman to talk to- and she really did want to trust Sima- She nervously spread her skirts more neatly as Sima leaned back.

"I'm really only half Carthaki," Sima began, a thoughtful look on her face. "My father's from Maren. He came to Carthak for the University, met Mother and stayed. Mother was the youngest daughter of a fairly well-ranking noble. She had Grandfather wrapped around her little finger, and when she wanted to go the University, she went. When she fell in love with a Marenite commoner, a fairytale wedding was arranged. I've got two older brothers- one's a commander in the Legions, one works on Grandfather's estate. Since I had the Gift I was sent to the University. That's where I met Kaddar.

"I worked hard, spent time with friends- I enjoyed the University." Sima sighed. "But as wonderful as it was, it was impossible to ignore Ozorne. Little things started happening- some of his closest friends, those who had been privy to all of his schemes when he was younger, began to leave. One fled the country, one locked himself in with Ozorne and his plotting, and one was nearly executed. Kaddar and one of my teachers –Lindhall Reed- began pulling me into a close circle. They were mages who supported Kaddar, who were trying to discover what Ozorne's pet mages were doing, closeted in the library for hours on end.

And then, someone found out. They were trying to discover the spells that unlocked the Divine Realms, and released Immortals into the mortal realms. And they succeeded. You probably know this part- we had most of the strength of the University behind us, and we were able to call in alliances and bring some valuable friends into the country. Between our black-robe mage, his student and the combined strength of the rest of us, we were able to expose the planning, force Ozorne's abdication and deal with the mages who had been helping him.

I lost friends in that battle. It was the first time I had seen magic used to kill. Because there were killings- assassinations more often than not, and untraceable. There were no 'battles' as such- only one long struggle that went on quietly under the surface. And by the end of it, I was exhausted, physically, mentally, emotionally and magically. So of course, I turned to my friends for support. Briefly, yes, I was involved with Kaddar. But it was more because I was emotionally drained than that I was in love. I trust him, he's one of my closest friends, and I do love him- but it's the way I love my brothers, not the way I'd love a lover.

After Ozorne was dethroned, and Kaddar was crowned, I began to be pulled more and more into the court circle. Most of my friends either remained at the University, becoming teachers, or migrated to the palace, joining Kaddar's inner circle. A few left, but most went no further than Thak's Gate. So I took Kaddar up on his offer to get me a room in the palace and I've been working with him for the last half a year. We're beginning to see progress in getting rid of Ozorne's supporters- unfortunately we can't get rid of them all.

As to the reason I'm here now-" Sima hesitated slightly. "Well, to be perfectly honest, as soon as Kaddar heard about the betrothal idea from his advisors, he asked me if I would be willing to come. He said he wanted a woman along with the delegation who could- oh I don't know- talk to you, make you feel more comfortable I guess. I think he's about as excited about this marriage as you are. Remember, if you two get married he's as stuck with you as you are with him." It was the woman's blunt words and wry smile that convinced Lianne that she wasn't just Kaddar's spy.

Sima settled back slightly against a cushion. "Well that's my life," she said. "Your turn." Lianne smiled slightly.

"I don't know why I was crying," she began slowly. "Just- well, I've always known I would have to make a political marriage, but somehow, tonight I just felt so- used." The words came, haltingly at first, picking up speed as she continued. Her voice rose and fell as she spoke. She talked about the obvious: the feeling of betrayal, of being used, a fear of the unknown, worry about the prospective husband. And then she began to open up, talking about the fear of marriage, a foolish child's dream of love, the fear of a husband. Sima gave no outward sign of shock, besides widening her eyes slightly when Lianne talked about her parents' relationship and the fear of marriage it sparked.

"-I just saw how miserable it made Mother," she continued. "And it scared me. He mostly ignored her after I turned eight or so, but when I was little- I used to hide in the hall outside their rooms. And I would hear them- screaming, yelling. And then Uncle Thom would come and carry me away. But she didn't come out of their rooms for a long time. Once, when I was eight and had started to discover what having the Gift meant I could do, I snuck into her rooms after they'd been fighting. Only she wasn't normal, like always. She was just lying there, and blood was pouring out of her head-" Lianne stifled a sob. "I ran for Duke Baird- that was when their fights stopped, when he found out." The tears began to streak down her face again. Sima pulled her into the circle of her arms.

"Poor you," she murmured, stroking Lianne's hair. "You're so brave." Lianne choked.

"Brave?" she said incredulously. "I've never done anything brave."

"If I were you," Sima said. "I'd have picked up my skirts and fled as soon as someone so much as _mentioned_ marriage. It's a wonder you're still in Tortall, let alone here in the palace agreeing to a marriage your father is arranging with someone you hardly know."

"He's gotten better," Lianne said hastily, rushing to her father's defense. "Ever since Mother died-" Sima shook her head.

"You still lived nineteen years afraid of him," she said, sighing. "Wait a moment." She ducked into her room, and came out with a basin of water and a wet cloth. Lianne laughed bitterly.

She took the offered cloth and started to clean up the mess her face paint had become. "I bet I look a mess," she said.

Sima shook her head and laughed gently. "Better than I would. I get all blotchy and my eyes get puffy and red."

"I met someone once who can cry and still look gorgeous," Lianne said wistfully. "She's a priestess of the Goddess –used to be a princess of Sarain I think. _The_ most gorgeous woman I have ever met. When she cried, she looked so romantic, like some lovelorn princess in a tale."

"I wish I had that trick," Sima said. "I look more like the lovelorn goatherd when I cry." Lianne giggled, before her eyes widened and she covered her mouth.

"Goddess," she said. "Did I just-?"

"Yes, you giggled," Sima told her. That set Lianne off, laughing and laughing. Sima watched in amusement as the princess slowly brought herself under control, a few more tear tracks making smudges in the last of her makeup.

"Sorry," Lianne said finally.

"No apologies necessary," Sima assured her. She bit her lip as though contemplating something. "Lianne, I really think you should talk to Kaddar." Lianne opened her mouth to object, but Sima cut her off before she could. "He is one of my best friends, and I'm sure that he does not intend for you to feel used in _any_ way. Why don't you clean up –you can use my room- and think about it." Lianne nodded- she owed Sima that much. "Good. Now, just go this way-" Sima showed the princess where she could rinse the last traces of smeared face paint off her face, as well as the tear tracks.

She then returned to her couch and, tucking her skirt around her neatly, sat. Quietly, she summoned a speaking spell, and sent the magical equivalent of a nudge to Kaddar. Soon, the emperor's voice came through the spell.

"Sima, is she all right?" he asked anxiously.

"She's fine," she assured him. "Just a bit shaken I think. I told her to talk to you and I think she will, given some time. Just- Kaddar?"

"Hmm?"

"Be a complete gentleman. Any hint of anger from you and she might well run screaming to Scanra."

"Dare I ask why?" The speaking spell made it hard to detect inflections, but Sima would bet money his voice was concerned, rather than jesting as the words would suggest.

"Ask her when she talks to you. I've got to go. Talk to you later." As she heard the sound of Lianne's footsteps, she ended the spell and rose to greet the princess.

Lianne's face was clean of the streaked face paint. She had pulled her hair back, and except for a few damp tendrils, it was tied at the base of her neck in a horsetail. "Thank you," she said quietly.

Sima smiled. "That's what friends do. I hope that we will become friends." A smile spread slowly across Lianne's face.

"I think we will," she answered. "Good night, Sima."

"Good night Highness."

* * *

Roald and Jasson thankfully didn't appear to question Lianne when she returned to her rooms. Instead, there was only a note propped up on the side table. _Lianne__- I'm sure you have your reasons for what you did tonight. There's no official lunch tomorrow, so we're hoping you'll eat with us and tell us what happened tonight and tomorrow morning with Kaddar. –Roald, Jasson and Roger._

Lianne didn't summon her maid, and quickly undressed herself. She tumbled in amongst the warm blankets and was asleep in moments.

The next morning, she was awakened by a knock on the door. "Highness!" The familiar voice of her maid rang through the wood.

"Come in," she called groggily. The woman entered the room quietly. Lianne rubbed a hand over her eyes. Her mind felt fuzzy with sleep and her mouth tasted horrible.

"Mornin'!" the maid said cheerfully. She picked up the dress Lianne had draped over a chair the night before and shook it out. "You'd better be gettin' up. His Imperial Majesty and Her Ladyship are to meet you in little more than an hour." Lianne sat up.

"All right, I'm up."

Despite the early morning wake up, Lianne found herself late to meet Kaddar and Sima. Once in the back hallways, she picked up her skirts and ran. When she was forced to take to the main halls again, she walked quickly. Thanks to her running, she was the first one to the courtyard. Two members of the Palace Guard met her there.

Both bowed upon seeing her. "Good morning, Highness," the taller of the two said. Both men were relatively good looking, one a tall curly-haired blond, the other shorter and slimmer with straight dirty blond hair. The men both moved like trained fighters, and Lianne felt confident that the two would make good bodyguards for the morning's outing.

"Good morning," she said pleasantly.

"I'm Baden Miller," the shorter one said. "And this is Yorick of Hannalof."

"A pleasure to meet you both," Lianne said. Baden's name was ringing a bell but she couldn't place it immediately. When the identity did click, she smiled slightly but kept her mouth shut. Baden was one of Cooper's men. But of course, she wouldn't tell him that _she_ knew that.

The need to make conversation with the two was dismissed by the arrival of Sima and Kaddar. Sima greeted Lianne with an affectionate hug, Kaddar with a distant nod and a kiss on the back of her hand.

Kaddar and Sima took horses from the Royal Stables –both even-tempered geldings, a gray and a bay- and Lianne took her red roan mare, Raina. The three rode down the city, Sima making most of the conversation between the three. Kaddar and Lianne both spoke to her, but avoided speaking directly to each other. Sima was not one to hide her emotions, and annoyance was becoming more and more prevalent on her face. By the time they reached the city, she was pursing her lips and giving both of them glares as she spoke.

They left the horses at an inn and made their way into the shopping district. Vendors hawked their wares loudly, street performers entertained idle shoppers, and loud talk filled the air. Lianne relaxed slightly upon entering the atmosphere- no tattling courtiers to watch them here.

Seeing a small store filled with odds and ends for magecraft, Sima's eyes lit up. "I'm going in there," she said, pointing. "I'll meet you two there-" She pointed to a fountain on a nearby corner. "-in half an hour." Yorick went with her, while Baden followed Lianne and Kaddar as they continued to look at vendors' wares and poked their heads into stores.

After several moments of awkward conversation, Lianne turned to Baden. "You wouldn't mind leaving us alone for a few moments?" At his immediate refusal, she continued. "I know Coo- you're not supposed to leave us alone, but could you stay out of earshot?" Baden bowed.

"I suppose, Highness," he said. "For a lady as lovely as yourself." Lianne laughed lightly and rolled her eyes. True to his word, Baden dropped back out of earshot, though he kept the two in plain sight. They bent over a tray of inexpensive jewelry as Lianne changed the topic.

"I suppose you're wondering what- upset me last night," she said finally. To Kaddar's credit, he didn't look surprised, or at all taken aback.

"I admit, the thought had stayed on my mind," he admitted with a shrug. "I had hoped you would talk to me about it eventually."

"Well-" Lianne hesitated, thinking of the best way to phrase what she was about to say. "You probably know that my parents did not have the- easiest of marriages." She smiled wryly.

"I had heard that, yes," Kaddar said.

"Probably in much blunter language," Lianne said. She laughed ruefully. "I don't think there was anyone who hasn't heard- Roger's a dead give away. Anyway, as soon as I was old enough to understand, my parents simply became- distant- with each other. Their loud fights all but stopped. But, when I was little- well, I saw some things that- put me off the idea of marriage a little bit." Kaddar's face did not reveal any emotion as she looked at him hesitantly- only polite interest.

"It's sad," he said quietly. "Your mother sounds like an amazing woman." Lianne smiled.

"She was," she said, equally quiet.

There was a moment of awkward silence before Lianne changed the topic to something else. They talked idly for the rest of the time, until meeting back up with Sima. She looked from one to the other, at the easy way they were talking, before looking back at Lianne. A raised brow spoke volumes; _I'll talk to you later._

The three browsed shops and vendor's stalls until almost noon. The sun was high in the sky when they returned to get their horses. In no time at all, they were back at the palace and separating. Sima agreed to meet Lianne in her rooms at fourth bell. Kaddar pressed another chaste kiss to her cheek and thanked her for the wonderful time. Lianne blushed slightly and hurried to meet her brothers for lunch.

Sima and Kaddar walked back to the wing granted to their delegation. "What did she say?" Sima demanded as soon as they were out of earshot from the bodyguards.

Kaddar shrugged. "That her parents had a rough marriage. She didn't say quite as much, but I think that what she was skirting around was that her parents used to fight a lot –how physical it got I don't know- and she saw some pretty bad things when she was little. I think she meant that she was- scared of the idea of marriage, not just leaving home or _this_ marriage specifically." Sima nodded.

"That fits in with what I heard last night," she said quietly. "And you're quite right if she told me the truth. Like I said, be a complete gentleman if you don't want her running for Scanra. She'll be a wonderful queen I think, if you can gain her trust. I also think that you'll be able to get along quite well, unlike most political marriages."

"I'd hoped we would," Kaddar admitted. Sima noticed to her extreme amusement that a blush was faintly visible against his dark skin. "She's very- sweet," he finished. Sima laughed.

"She's gorgeous, you mean," she said teasingly.

"Right, as usual," Kaddar agreed, a smile flitting over his handsome face.

"Of course," she said, bobbing a mock curtsey. "And you will so enjoy clothing her in gold and jewels."

"As befits an empress," Kaddar replied smoothly. He opened the door to his rooms, and motioned Sima inside. She flopped in a plush armchair, with little concern for decorum. Kaddar sat a bit more gracefully in the chair opposite, while Aveela joined them and sat on the sofa between.

"So," Sima said, easily addressing the newcomer. "What has our emperor been saying about Her Highness?" Aveela's hands moved quickly as he signed the answer.

_He cannot stop talking about her,_ he replied, grinning at the emperor. _Her beauty, her flawless manners, her sweet personality- I've heard about it all. _Kaddar groaned.

"I could have you arrested for conspiring against the emperor," he said jokingly.

"But you wouldn't," Sima replied. "Because when they arrested us, the first thing out of my mouth would be the size of your-"

"Treason!" Kaddar groaned. "It's a conspiracy of fools to rob me of all dignity."

_I'd love to see you give that excuse to the Red Legion,_ Aveela retorted. Sima stood and walked over to him, and he threw a casual arm around her shoulders.

Kaddar threw a pillow at the two. "Traitors!"

"Unmanly," Sima taunted.

"Traitor!"

"Unmanly!"

"Traitor!"

"Unmanly!"

"Aveela make her be quiet."

_I'm with her on this one._

"Traitors!"

"Unmanly!"

_I'm with her._

"Get out! Both of you!"

"I and this manly man will go out and amuse ourselves."

"Argh!"

_Come, beautiful lady, let us leave this babbling fool who calls himself emperor._

**SLAM!** Kaddar groaned as the door slammed. As soon as that sound was gone, he heard the sound of someone laughing themselves to tears and rolled his eyes. Sima and Aveela were living proof that not even the emperor of the Southern Continent, with all his hundred and one titles, was not exempt from the teasing of friends. But he really wouldn't have it any other way.

* * *

"But he's so handsome," Jasson said, voice syrupy sweet, fluttering his eyelashes. "Tall, dark and handsome." 

"Oh, shut up," Lianne said, throwing a roll at him. Jasson caught it neatly and took a bite.

"Thanks for the food, sister dear," he said through a mouthful of bread. "Tastes delicious." Lianne rolled her eyes.

"There's no winning," Roald advised from where he lounged in his chair. "You know Jasson wins any argument between the two of you."

"And what about you?" Roger asked idly, toying with a fork laden with beef. "Lianne's won an argument with him a time or two, but you've _never_ won."

"Hah!" Lianne said, throwing her brother a victorious look. "Two against two. We're even."

"For now," Jasson said with a shrug. "Then once tall, dark and handsome comes along-"

"I thought I told you to shut up," Lianne said.

"Whatever you say, Princess," Jasson said, a smirk quirking up one corner of his mouth.

"I thought we were going to talk seriously," Roald reminded his younger brother.

Jasson waved the idea away. "Too much seriousness lately," he said. "Politics; can't stand them. That's why _I'm _becoming a knight. I shall rescue fair damsels, vanquish evil knights and wizards and discover treasure troves the likes of which can only be imagined!" He brandished his spoon as though it were a sword.

"When you can beat me on the practice courts, I'll believe it," Roger replied.

"Not my fault you're a demon with a sword," Jasson complained. "Fine, here's what we'll do. You'll vanquish evil, and I'll take all the credit! And the fair damsels," he added as an afterthought.

Roger just snorted. Lianne and Roald looked at each other and rolled their eyes. "Little brothers," they said together.

"I resent that," Roger joked.

"Get used to it," Lianne replied, taking a sip of fruit juice. "You always have been and always will be-" She broke off at the sound of a knock at the door. Roger got up and answered it, admitting a fourth year page.

He bowed low, face flushed. "Highnesses," he panted. "My lord. I was sent to bring you this and then escort you to the ambassador's lunch." He held out a piece of folded paper. The siblings exchanged glances. That lunch was supposed to have been business only. Lianne took the note and opened it. Her brothers watched as her face grew pale and her violet eyes widened. Roald read quietly aloud over her shoulder.

_'Princess, They are about to sign the marriage contract. They have completed the preliminary treaty and are at the point where they feel a marriage contract may be signed. They wish to have it signed as quickly as possible to reassure both countries that a match has been made and neither will go back on its word. The page will bring you to the lunch in time to be at the signing if you hurry.'_

The Conte children glanced at each other, and Lianne and Roald took off running, while Jasson and Roger thanked the page before sprinting after them. Wisps of red hair worked their way out of the knot at the base of her skull as Lianne's slipper-shod feet slapped the ground. Her skirts clutched in one hand, she skimmed the banister with the other, hot on Roald's heels. They were outside the hall within moments.

It took only a moment for Lianne to push most of her hair out of the way and shake her skirts out. Roger and Jasson then pulled the doors open for her and Roald to make a regal entrance. The group of men clustered around a table turned as one to face them. By the expressions of surprise on some faces, Lianne surmised that the page had not been sent openly by the group. It was the careful blankness of Sir Gareth's face that she realized who _had_ sent the page. She made a mental note to thank him later.

Sima, Aveela and Kaddar faced her from the other side of the room. Sima's tiny braids didn't so much as hint at a speedy arrival, but Kaddar's shirt was slightly askew and Sima was breathing slightly harder than normal. Lianne realized that neither she nor Kaddar had any idea that the contract was being signed.

She shoved the fear and turmoil out of her mind and erected a mask of perfect calm. "Good afternoon," she said calmly. "Your Imperial Majesty, ambassadors."

"Good afternoon, your Highness," Kaddar replied smoothly. Everyone in the room bowed, with the exception of Jonathan.

"We were about to commence with the signing of the contract," Sir Gareth said calmly after a moment of silence had ensued.

"Yes," Kaddar said, tearing his eyes away from Lianne's. "Your Majesty," he continued, turning to Jonathan. "If you would sign?" Jonathan dipped his quill in ink. Lianne watched proudly, carefully containing the nausea she felt as she watched the pen carefully scratch out the signature binding her to a man she hardly knew for the rest of her life. _Oh stop being so melodramatic,_ she scolded herself. But it didn't make the queasiness she felt go away.

"Lianne?" Kaddar's soft query brought her out of her thoughts.

"Yes, Your Imperial Majesty?" she replied, voice breathy and light. She winced at the sound; she would have done better to shout her fear. But no one gave any outward sign of noticing, so she pretended she didn't either.

"Would you sign?" he asked. Several of the ambassadors gasped. It was a highly unorthodox request. Normally the groom and the bride's father signed a marriage contract and the bride usually never saw it until after the wedding. Her eyes flew up to meet Kaddar's, and found only kindness and a bit of friendly humor. The warmth of those dark eyes made some of the sick apprehension she felt recede.

"Certainly," she replied.

"But Emperor," one of the Carthakis protested. "She cannot sign the contract. It isn't how it's done!"

"Perhaps it should be done that way," Kaddar said, his voice even. "After all, she is the one being married, not King Jonathan." A few nervous chuckles could be heard. "She has as much right as any, and more than most, to sign. Lianne is a capable woman, and I would not want less seated beside me on my throne." Lianne blushed in spite of her self at the praise.

Kaddar held out the quill, and she stepped forward. The men parted to allow her through. Numb fingers took the quill from Kaddar's hand. She dipped the quill in ink, and then carefully signed her name. _Lianne__ of Conte_. The moment was over quickly, and she stepped back quickly. Kaddar took the quill from her limp fingers and moved to sign his own name. _Kaddar__ Iliniat_ appeared, letter by letter, next to her own name.

Kaddar in turn handed the quill off to his chief advisor. Lianne watched feeling slightly dazed as he too began to sign. So unaware was she that she jumped upon feeling hands on her shoulders.

"Are you alright?" Kaddar's voice asked. It felt dangerously close to her ear. She turned to face the man who was now her betrothed.

"Of course," she said, smiling slightly. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"You seemed a bit dazed," he said, eyes searching hers. Sima held her breath as she watched the two. They were off to the side, and no one in the room, with the exception of Sima, Aveela, and Roald were watching them, as the others were all arguing over order of precedence. "I know I am. I've never been betrothed before." Lianne laughed weakly.

"Neither have I," she said, her smile gaining an edge of reality.

"Good," he said. "So I'm not the only one. Tell me, is it only me, or does it feel like your army and mine have taken up residence in your stomach?"

"It isn't just you, Emperor Kaddar," she replied.

"How many times must I say, that it's just Kaddar?" Kaddar asked, with a bit of exasperated laughter.

"At least one more," Lianne replied. His hands which had been on her shoulders, dropped down to take her hands.

"Well, Princess Lianne," he said formally. "It would please me greatly if before the grand event I'm certain you have planned for tonight, you would join me for dinner."

"I-" Lianne stumbled. "I would like that very much." Her smile was shy, but real.

"Good." Kaddar brushed kisses over the backs of her hands. "I'll send someone to get you." He then dropped her hands, and left the room with Lord Temiat, who had recently signed.

"Congratulations," Sima said. Lianne spun around to face her.

"Oh," Lianne said. "Thank you." She laughed lightly. "It's not exactly a shock."

"No," Sima agreed. "But I do believe congratulations are still in order."

"I have to go," Lianne said, catching sight of Jasson peering in the door, trying to get her attention. "I'll see you at dinner tonight, though."

"Actually, you won't," Sima corrected. "You'll see me at the 'grand event'. Dinner is just you and Kaddar." Lianne's face showed her shock.

"But-" she floundered. "I thought-" Sima pushed her gently towards her brothers.

"It'll be fine," she said gently. "Now go. I'll see you later." Lianne walked to her brothers feeling a bit numb. _Just me and Kaddar…_

* * *

Lianne took extra care with her appearance that night. Her dress was a deep silvery gray silk. The back swooped lower than normal, with velvet laces crisscrossing up her back to her shoulders. The neckline was cut straight across her shoulders and flowed smoothly into sleeves that ran down to flow slightly over her hands. Slashes in the skirt revealed black silk when she moved. Her hair was pinned up, decorated with tiny clear glass beads. The only jewelry she wore was black pearl eardrops and her maid had used only a touch of face paint to draw attention to her unique eyes. She looked exquisite, regal and composed. 

She felt anything but as she waited for whoever Kaddar was sending. The only thing keeping her from pacing was the possibility that someone she knew would see her. So she contained her nervous energy to any one of a hundred nervous habits, from smoothing her skirts to fingering her earrings. Her nails escaped being bitten only after her maid had shot several glares that made her message clear to Lianne. So she refrained from chewing them to a quick and instead brushed imaginary dust from herself, her dress, the sofa, the table and anything else unfortunate enough to come within her reach.

Fortunately for her rooms' sake, a manservant in Carthaki livery arrived at her door fairly soon. She followed him down several halls, to a small, private dining room she hadn't used before. The manservant opened the door and bowed her inside. She thanked him as he shut the door behind her. She felt slightly giddy with nerves as she turned around to face the inside of the room.

Kaddar leaned against the wall, looking out the south-facing window. He held a glass of red wine in one hand, though it looked almost full. It matched the color of his silk calf-length robe, worn over a pair of black pants and a deep orange shirt that matched the embroidery on the robe. When he heard the doors shut, he straightened and turned. "Lianne," he greeted her. "Your Highness, thank you for joining me."

"My pleasure, Your-" Kaddar cut her off when she moved to curtsey.

"I thought I asked you to call me Kaddar," he said. "In fact, I remember asking you several times."

"Emperor Kaddar," Lianne said. "The pleasure is all mine." Mingled annoyance and laughter made their way across Kaddar's face.

"Princess, you are impossible," he said, motioning for a servant. One appeared almost immediately at her elbow with a glass of red wine. She took it, watching the garnet color shift and glitter in the candlelight.

"I miss color," she said with a sigh. "I used to have a gorgeous dress in this color."

"I think mourning isn't supposed to be gorgeous," Kaddar remarked dryly.

"Don't get me wrong," Lianne added hastily. "I miss Mother, and mourn her as much as any. But I'm tired of wearing black and gray. I feel like I'm wearing the same dress over and over again."

"You look incredible," Kaddar said. Pale pink stained Lianne's cheeks.

"It's my dressmaker," she murmured. "She's exceptionally talented."

"All the dresses in the world cannot create beauty where there is none," he said with a smile.

"Flatterer," Lianne accused.

"Is it such a crime to compliment my future bride on her appearance?" Kaddar asked mildly, taking a swallow of wine. Lianne flushed deeper, and didn't reply, instead taking a sip of her wine.

The rest of the meal passed in a blur of pleasant conversation, much of which Lianne recognized in an afterthought as flirting. By the time dessert arrived, she felt more at ease with him than she did with any man short of her brothers. Laughing at something he said, she had the startling realization that she wouldn't mind going to Carthak with him in the spring. In fact, she was almost looking forward to it. Somehow, that realization didn't shake her as much as she had thought it would.

"Princess?" he said with a smile, standing. A servant came behind Lianne and pulled out her chair. Standing, she took Kaddar's offered arm, laying her palm lightly on his forearm.

"It's Lianne," she said quietly. Kaddar smiled.

"Lianne, then," he said. His eyes danced with something Lianne couldn't quite read. "May I escort you to the party your father has no doubt planned exquisitely down to the last detail?"

"You may," she said with an answering smile. "Kaddar." His smile broadened.

When they arrived at the ballroom doors, a spark of mischief danced in Lianne's eyes. "Come with me." Without waiting for an answer, she took his arm and led him down the hall and around.

"Where are we going?" Kaddar asked.

"Wait and see," she said. "Don't you want to make an impressive entrance?" She turned to smile mischievously at him.

The Herald at the top of the Queen's Stair was someone she knew well, and though he wasn't supposed to open the door tonight, no one was about to naysay the princess and the emperor. At the sound of the titles he was supposed to announce, he raised an eyebrow but didn't comment. Kaddar offered Lianne his arm, which she accepted gracefully. He leaned over to murmur in her ear.

"Your public awaits," he teased. She could feel his breath against her neck.

"Wouldn't want to disappoint them then," she replied with a mischievous smile.

When the double doors swung open, the ballroom went quiet as all eyes turned to the top of the stair. King Jonathan, guessing what the doors had opened for shook his head in amusement, casting a glance at Kaddar's chief advisor. To his relief, the advisor too was shaking his head knowingly, hiding a smile. There would be no diplomatic incidences tonight, at least not over this.

The Herald pounded his staff on the floor, the sound ringing through the now silent room. He looked down on the sea of gray and black, with pinpricks of bright colors that marked the Carthakis not constrained to mourning colors. Every eye in the room was fixed on him, and straining to see who stood in the shadows beyond the doorway. _This,_ he thought with amusement. _Is going to be interesting._

"His Imperial Majesty Emperor Kaddar Iliniat of Carthak, and his bride-to-be, Her Royal Highness Princess Lianne of Tortall."

* * *

Queen's Own: Eleven reviews! I am bursting with happiness. For a while there, I feared that I wouldn't even be able to rack up the requisite ten! That's part of the reason this update was slow in coming, something you all can remedy next time. I know more than eleven people read this chapter, thanks to the handy new hits button on my stats page. 

Reviews make my summer, loves. Again, I need ten!


End file.
